Innocence
by Baka no Yatsu
Summary: Echizen forgets the time after a evening solo practice and runs into some sleazy guys. 2nd part up.....
1. Chapter 1

_"blabla." Are thoughts. _

_Innocence. _

_"I'm glad practice is tomorrow," _Echizen thought, _"It's boring playing against the machine." _He just came from the tennis court and was on his way home. While he was training he lost track of time and it was about a quarter to twelve so there were no more buses riding.

_"Ché, why did I lose track of time? Now I have to walk through downtown." _He was passing a creepy alley, when some man appeared. 'Hey there, kid. You're a cute one aren't you?' The man was wearing a jogging suit like he was just about to jog. He had a freaky smile on his lips and a look in his eyes which Echizen didn't like. 'Are you looking for a good nightcap?'  
'Let me through.' Came Echizen's snappy answer. 'Oh ho, we have an attitude…' Echizen heard a different voice coming out of the alley and three other guys came out.  
'Let me pass.' Echizen said again while a feeling of fear was coming up. 'No!' And they grabbed Echizen's tennis bag and tossed it in the alley. Then they grabbed Echizen, who tried to fight them off. 'Let go!' Echizen nearly screamed, but held back and started to kick and hit all around himself. He kicked two guys in the balls, but then one of them hit him on the head making him dizzy. They dragged him into the alley, all four of them with an ugly smirk on their face. They pulled off Echizen cap and threw it away, after the cap they ripped off the jacket of Seigaku. 'Hey, this kid's a Seigaku regular.'  
'Yeah, he reminds me of that kid three years ago. Y'know, the one with the glasses.'  
'Right, he was cute too, but he kept his mouth shut and just started crying.' 'He did scream, for a few seconds, I think he liked it.' Then the four of them laughed and ripped Echizen's shirt and pants. 'Stop it, let me go!' Echizen shouted and was terrified, but no one came. 'Let go!' That was when they pulled down Echizen's shorts, but didn't rip it. 'STOP!!' Echizen actually screamed. 'Shut up! If you don't struggle it will hurt less.' The man harshly turned Echizen around so he was facing the ground. _"What are they going to do?" _he thought while fighting back his tears. _"Oh my god."_ The man took his pant off, revealing his erection and pushed mercilessly into Echizen.

A blood chilling scream……

_"I should ask if they could put a clock there, I keep forgetting the time when I practice."_ Tezuka was walking home at five to twelve when he heard a blood chilling scream coming from the alley a few meters away. He ran towards the entrance of the alley and froze. What he first saw was Echizen crying, then he saw the man and lost his normally perfect control and his vision became blurred. He charged towards the man and hit him with his tennis bag, so that the man was off Echizen. But Teauka wasn't finished, he started to fight like he had never fought before. Punching and hitting the four men as hard as he could and after what seemed like an hour for Tezuka, the men lay on th ground bleeding and moaning.

Echizen screamed out and tears were flowing down his face. _"Is_ _there nobody to help,"_ he thought, _"Please help." _ He thought he saw someone facing the alley and suddenly he felt the man jerk out of him giving him another shot of pain. _"Who is that?" _Echizen thought while he pulled back his shorts and watched the fight with red eyes, huddles in a corner. The last man fell and he saw who helped him.  
It was Tezuka.

When the fight was over Tezuka stood gasping a little for breath. 'Echizen!' Tezuka turned around and saw him huddled in a corner, a small trail of blood lining his cheek. Tezuka saw Echizen's cap and picked it up. 'Buchou?' Echizen asked softly, 'Tezuka-Buchou?' 'Ah.' Tezuka was startled a bit by the way Echizen said his name. Tezuka walked over to him and gave him his cap. Echizen put it on right away covering his eyes. _"I'm sorry, Echizen." _Tezuka thought, _"I wasn't fast enough."_ He looked around seeing Echizen's clothing to pieces, including the Seigaku jacket. 'Here. You'll get sick.' And Tezuka offered Echizen his jacket. '……thank you.' Echizen whispered. _" Why is Buchou here? And why did he help me?"_ Echizen put on the jacket and felt warmth washing over him and that was not just from the jacket. 'My house is nearby' lets go there. Then you can get a shower.'

So they walked along the road. Echizen was a little behind and Tezuka often looked back if Echizen wasn't too far behind. 'Hey there. In for a fun night?' A woman almost clung herself to Echizen. Echizen started to tremble. _"What's with this part of town?"_ Then he felt a hand on his shoulder and was startled. 'Leave him alone.' _"Buchou."_

'Lezve him alone.' Tezuka said while putting a hand on Echizen's shoulder. _"He's been through enough tonight."_  
'Why should I?' The woman was still looking at Echizen. Echizen shuffled behind Tezuka and held on to Tezuka's sleeve. _"Buchou."_  
'I can do whate….Tezuka-san!?' The lady looked up straight into his eyes, 'I-I didn't know he was with you…..gomen.'  
'Don't do that again.' Tezuka said with a cold glare. 'Hai, I won't.'  
'Lets go, Echizen.'  
'Uiss.' Was the soft reply.

They finally reached a condo and went inside to the second floor. _"You live alone?"_ Echizen thought. As if he could read his mind Tezuka answered: 'This is my apartment. I come here when I want to be alone.' 'Ah.' They went into the livingroom, which was barely decorated. Just a couch, a table and the bed was in front of the tv. Tezuka saw Echizen looking around. 'It's simple, but I like it.' Tezuka said. 'It's nice.'  
'Why don't you take a shower, then I'll make some dinner.'  
'Okay,'

As Echizen stood under the warm streams, he started thinking. _ "Why was he there? It seems so unreal. Not that I didn't want him to help me, but why did he? Shit, I haven't thanked him yet. I'll do that when I'm finished showering." _

When Echizen went to the shower, Tezuka went to the kitchen to make some dinner. 'Oh, he doesn't have any clothes!' Tezuka said to himself and went to his closet. _"There must be something that fits him." _He had clothes of when he was younger, so he grabbed a boxer, a dark blue/black shirt and jeans. He laid them near the towel and left the shower. Then he went back to the kitchen and made some rice with meat.

When he was finished showering, Echizen grabbed the towel and saw the clothes. _"I really need to thank him." _He got dressed and when he went into the livingroom he smelled the food. _"I'm hungry..."__   
_

Tezuka came in with the food when he saw Echizen. 'Do the clothes fit?' he asked. 'Yes, perfectly,' Echizen replied, 'Thank you, Buchou.'  
'For what?'  
'For everything.' Echizen said while trying not to cry. '...no problem.' Tezuka noticed that Echizen was about to cry so he changed the subject. 'Are you hungry?'  
'Yeah.' Echizen said glad that Tezuka changed the subject.

They ate their meal and after they finished, Tezuka took a shower, while Echizen remained in the livingroom.

_"Why was I too late? Now he has the same pain as I've had for the past three years..." _Tezuka stood under the shower, while he had the flashback of three years ago :

"A younger Tezuka was walking down the road, when he passed an alley and a man appeared. 'Hey there, kid. You're a cute one aren't you?' the man was wearing a jogging suit, smelled like alcohol and had a weird look in his eyes. 'Hm?' Tezuka reacted with a polite but bored expression. 'Are you looking for a good nightcap?'  
'Move aside please.' Tezuka had to control his body not to run. 'Oh ho, we have ourselves a bored kid.' And Tezuka saw three other men come out of the alley. 'Shall we help him out of his boredom?'  
'Good idea...' So they grabbed Tezuka and pulled him in the alley. Tezuka fought back as hard as he could but they threw off his glasses so he couldn't see well. 'Let me go!' Tezuka shouted, but they grabbed him by the shoulders and threw him on the ground. 'We're gonna slam the boredom outta ya, so get ready kid!' Tezuka was facing the ground, struggling while they tore his clothes off. When they had torn his pants and shorts the man with the jogging suit pulled down his own pants revealing his erection. Then the man slammed into Tezuka, who screamed but Tezuka stopped as he noticed nobody was coming. So he cried... He saw people passing the alley looking at him, yet not doing anything. As he felt the pain of the four men raping him and seeing people passing by his emotions turned cold and his heart hardened."

Tezuka stood under the shower, crying.

_"It hurts, but I can't let it show. Not to him. He would think that I'm weak."_ Echizen sat on the bed, trying to calm himself. He didn't notice he was hugging his knees. _"I don't want him to think I can't handle it...I wonder why he's doing this for me. He could've left me there...Now I'm not sure about him and his feelings." "I want to say it but I don't want to be hurt...not again...not tonight." _Echizen wiped away the tear rolling down his cheek and calmed down a little. Then Tezuka came in, he was now wearing a tight black T-shirt and jeans. _."He look so good...whatever it is he's wearing..."__   
_

Tezuka came in the room and looked at Echizen. Echizen sat on the bed, hugging his knees. _"...He looks cute, fragile yet strong. Although what happened isn't anything to be happy about, he's gonna be okay." _Tezuka sat next to him. 'It's okay to cry.' Tezuka said serious. 'No, it's not, not for me.'

'Why not?'  
'I can't be weak, if I'm weak I'll never be...' Echizen stopped in midsentence, _"I'll never be a pillar of support."_  
You'll never be what?' Tezuka noticed that Echizen wasn't going to finish the sentence. 'Never mind. It's nothing.' Echizen said while thinking, _"I don't want to disappoint you."_  
'Are you alright?' Tezuka asked while cursing mentally at the tone of worry in his voice. 'What do you think?' Echizen asked sarcastically, he didn't notice the tone in Tezuka's voice. 'Sorry, but I have to ask.'  
'Well don't, you saw it, right? Then you don't have to ask how I feel.' Echizen was starting to get angry. _"Why is Buchou asking me things like this? Why does he want know?"_  
'I do have to ask, because you need to talk about it.' Tezuka heard the angry tone of Echizen. 'I don't have to talk about it. Just leave me alone!' Echizen shouted. 'Sorry, I shouldn't have shouted.'  
'It's alright, I know how you feel.' Tezuka tried to calm Echizen down, but failed. 'You don't! How can you know how I feel!? You've never been through this!' Echizen cried while he shouted not caring about the expression on Tezuka's face. Tezuka's glasses glinted and Echizen couldn't see his eyes so he was quite scared, when Tezuka shouted back. 'I know EXACTLY how you feel!' Tezuka shouted while Echizen still couldn't see his eyes. 'You think your innocence is gone, but it not! When it happened to me three years ago, I locked myself up in my room, didn't talk about it and that's how I got this way, this cold!' Echizen was still crying, but quiet. "So you were the one they talked about, the boy with glasses three years ago.'  
'Echizen, your innocence lies in your heart, not in your body!' Tezuka's eyes became visible and Echizen was surprised. Tezuka's eyes were shimmering with tears and Echizen felt guilty that he had shouted to Tezuka. _"He saved me and I shouted and said to him he didn't know...but he does." _'I'm sorry.'  
'...It's okay.' Tezuka had calmed himself down. 'But you haven't lost you innocence.'  
'Neither did you.' Tezuka smiled softly and kissed Echizen softly on his forehead. Both of them still had tears in their eyes but were not as sad anymore. 'Buchou?'  
'Yes?'  
_"Say it! Now is your chance!" _Echizen couldn't say anything. Then Tezuka bent towards Echizen's ear. 'I love you, Echizen.' Tezuka whispered. _"He said it! I can tell him, I can say it. Say it!"_ Echizen swallowed once and said: 'I love you too, Buchou.'


	2. Chapter 2

**A.N.: Sorry sorry sorry, for this lame excuse of a chapter and the lateness of it. It is the LAST chapter...without the reference to chap 1 it could've been a whole new fic...Aahh forgive my rambling. I had an idea of tennis practice and then a lot of SadisticbutSweetFuji...but my muse about that just...ABANDONED ME!!!!! cries Anyway, beware of major toothaching sweetness (read OOCness) ; I feel like such a dork writing sappy and mushy things like this. :P Anyway I hope you'll enjoy. Please R&R. Tell me how I can improve...gently...**

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Groaning a little, Echizen slowly opened his eyes and blinked, trying to get rid of the blurriness. _"Why do I feel warm?" _he wondered, _"Warm and safe_…._Huh!?" _Echizen gasped softly in surprise as he felt a warm presence pressed against his back and when he looked at his waist he saw two arms holding him gently and protectively. _"Where am I?" _ and he looked around a bit. He saw a TV and a window and that was it….Suddenly Echizen was wide awake. _"_……._I'm in a bed with arms around my WAIST!?" _ Shocked, Echizen carefully turned around to look at the owner of the intrusive arms. What he first saw was a calm, peaceful face, mouth slightly open. 'Buchou?' Echizen didn't know what to say or do, so he just stared. _"He looks so peaceful, not so strict as usual_…._He's perfect." _ Echizen slowly brought his hand up to Tezuka's face to softly caress the soft cheek. Tezuka groaned softly and opened hazy eyes.

As Tezuka woke to the soft caress, he opened his eyes and looked at the face in front of him hazily. He blinked a few times before realizing that is was Echizen face he was staring at. He drew one hand up to the back of Echizen head, weaving his fingers in silky hair. 'Echizen?' Tezuka said, voice low and slightly gruff from sleep, 'How are you feeling?' He saw different emotions passing through those golden, cat-like eyes. Confusion, pain, fear, sadness, but also hope and warmth. Last however was slight hurt. _"Why does he feel hurt?" _He wondered. 'Echizen?' Tezuka asked again. _"Why doesn't he answer?" _Tezuka was worried, _"Did last night effect him even more than I initially thought? Or is it something _**I**_ did?" _He was brought out of his musing when he heard a small voice say, 'Ryoma, call me Ryoma.'

'Ryoma, call me Ryoma.' He said softly, slightly hurt, _"Echizen_..._why call me that after last night? I thought he liked me_…._" _As the older boy remained silent, Echizen looked him in the eyes, 'Buchou?' He felt the arm, now around his back pull him closer. 'Then you call me Kunimitsu.' He saw the corners of Tezuka's mouth curve up a bit. Echizen flushed and snuggled his face into Tezuka's chest. 'H-Hai, K-Kunimitsu.'

Tezuka watches in amusement as Echizen flushed and hid his face. Then he rather felt then heard Echizen say. 'H-Hai, K-Kunimitsu.' His smile widened as he hugged Echizen closer and kissed him softly on the head. 'So Ryoma, how are you feeling?' He heard a soft chuckle come from the younger boy.

Chuckling softly from the kiss on his head, Echizen finally answered, 'I'm okay, a lot better than yesterday.' As he answered he could feel a small sigh of relief coming from Tezuka. _"He does like me_……_No, he loves me, he's never shown this side before to anyone." _Then he added with his usual snarkiness , 'My ass still hurts though.' And he smirked at Tezuka.

'My ass still hurts though.' After hearing that remark Tezuka let out a low laugh. 'Glad to hear you're feeling better.' He looked at the smirking face with a warm smile. 'Lets get out of bed and get you home, shall we?' _"I knew he was resilient and would pull through." _And just as he knew that he all too well knew the response to his question. 'Uiiss.'

'Ne, Kunimitsu?'

'Hmm?'

'Arigatou.'

'Ah.'

About two hours later they were walking side by side towards Echizen's home. During the walk home they were talking a little bit, chatting, as far that's possible with those two anyway, trying to get to know each other better.

When they were one street away Tezuka said, 'You should tell them. They're probably worried because you didn't get home last night.' Echizen froze a bit and stood still until he felt a warm, reassuring hand on his shoulder. As he looked into warm eyes, he answered, 'Hai, I will. Don't know about that baka oyaji, though, he probably thinks I met some "hot chick" and got lucky.' Tezuka frowned at that, 'Then he'll be in for quite a surprise.' Echizen smirked. 'Heh, mada mada dane.'

When they reached Echizen's home, they stood at the temple's gate for a while. Tezuka gave Echizen a hug and a kiss on the top of his head. 'Ano, Kunimitsu?' Echizen looked up with uncertain eyes. 'Stay with me?'

"_I don't want to face this alone_….._" _ he thought. Tezuka understood, 'Ah, I'll stay.' And he leaned down to kiss Echizen softly on the lips. Their first kiss was gentle and loving, but to Echizen mostly reassuring. _"Arigatou, 'Mitsu."_

'Tadaima.' Echizen called. 'Forgive my intrusion.' Tezuka murmured. Immediately there was purring coming down from their feet where Karupin was winding herself around. 'Heheh, I guess she likes you, Kunimitsu.' Echizen said while picking her up. _"Thankfully."_ Rinko came from the kitchen, 'Okaeri, Ryoma. Where were you yesterday?' When she noticed Tezuka she was somewhat surprised, 'Oh, you brought a friend, I'm Echizen Rinko.' And she bowed. Tezuka returned the bow, 'I'm Tezuka Kunimitsu, the tennis club Buchou.'

'I see, it's nice to meet you, Tezuka-kun. So where were you, Ryoma? You never came home.' Echizen tensed, which didn't go unnoticed by Tezuka and Rinko. 'Can I answer that in the living room?'

'Of course, I'll make some tea first.'

They went into the living room. Rinko made some tea as Echizen and Tezuka settled themselves on the couch. In the meantime Nanjiroh came in and sat down on a chair. Tezuka introduced himself and Nanjiroh was about to challenge him to a match, which Tezuka would've refused, when Rinko came in with the tea and finally sat down on a chair herself. 'What happened last night, Ryoma?' Echizen took a deep breath and started talking.

He started with him forgetting the time and walking home. As he neared the alley, both in story and mind, he started trembling and tears slowly started falling from his eyes. By this time Tezuka had wrapped an arm around Echizen's shoulders. When Echizen couldn't continue when Tezuka came in the picture, Tezuka took over describing what he saw at the entrance of the alley, the fight with the men and his suggestion to go to his apartment. From there Echizen, with tears flowing freely down his face, told the remaining part.

Both Echizen and Tezuka didn't mention the way they felt about each other. But the way Echizen leaned into Tezuka for support and Tezuka holding him, it was obvious, even to Nanjiroh. Rinko stood up and hugged both boys, surprising Tezuka a bit. She then looked Tezuka in the eyes, 'Thank you, for taking care of Ryoma.'

'A-ah.' Tezuka didn't know what to say so he just nodded. Nanjiroh looked at the two with a smirk and said, 'You two just keep it down later on, hmm?' Echizen and Tezuka looked at each other with a quizzical look and when the meaning of that sentence finally sunk in, Echzien blushed scarlet red while Tezuka just cleared his throat and kept quiet.


End file.
